The present invention relates to a device for detecting on the one hand the approach and contact of said object with the detection surface, and on the other hand the pressure of said object on said surface. It also relates to a method utilizing such a device.
The field of the invention is, non-limitatively, that of interfaces for the capacitive detection of objects for an electronic device, making it possible for said device to detect neighbouring objects, in particular in the field of robotics.
Electronic devices interact with their environment in an increasingly autonomous manner. This autonomous interaction most often requires the possibility of detecting objects/persons located in proximity to or in contact with the device, in particular when said device is a robot, whether or not it is mobile. Such detection of approach and contact is carried out by means of a detection surface equipped with sensors for detecting approach and/or contact, in particular capacitive sensors.
In order to complete this interaction, it appears necessary to detect, in addition to the approach and contact, a pressure, a force or a load exerted by an object on a detection surface of the device. Sensors currently exist for detecting a pressure on a detection surface of an device.
However, the addition of such a pressure detection sensor in a detection surface already equipped with approach and contact sensors proves to be costly, bulky and complex. In addition, the juxtaposition of sensors dedicated to the detection of approach and contact and sensors dedicated to the detection of a pressure creates mutual interferences that degrade the operation and the effectiveness of these sensors.
A purpose of the present invention is to overcome the abovementioned drawbacks.
Another purpose of the present invention is to propose a single sensor device making it possible to detect on the one hand approach and/or contact, and on the other hand the pressure of an object on a detection surface, and/or the force or the load exerted by this object on the detection surface.
Yet another purpose of the present invention is to propose a single sensor device making it possible to detect on the one hand the approach and/or contact, and on the other hand a pressure, a force or a load, that is less bulky, less costly and less complex compared to a juxtaposition of two existing sensors, one dedicated to the detection of approach and contact and the other dedicated to the detection of pressure, force or load.
Yet another purpose of the present invention is to propose a single sensor device making it possible to detect on the one hand the approach and/or the contact, and on the other hand a pressure, a force or a load, with a great reliability and a good dependability.